Arrows Away!
by thecannonfires
Summary: Who said being smart wont help you win, in a fight to the death?
1. Chapter 1  The Reaping

I'm Mat Zanders, I won the Twenty Third Hunger Games, I'm fifteen years old, I am from District Three, and this is my story on how I survived. Living in District Three was never what everything it was hyped up to be, yes we may be the smartest district in Panem, but who ever won The Hunger Games with brains? It's either to fight to the end, or die right then and there. Its three days before the reaping and I'm not looking forward to it. As I walk from school to the bomb-making factory, I wonder what if I get called? What I get to go to the Games? As I panic for the two hundred ad seventh time " Hey Mat", said Alice "get your booty over here and start working on these land mines, ""coming I said, Today is the biggest day for the bomb factory, its day where we get to make the land mines for the Hunger Games. That some sort of advantage, we can deactivate the bombs and reactivate them for future use. Like everyone knows, we cannot try to mess with the landmines below us in the arena during our sixty seconds to plan out our strategy. Five years ago, one girl tried to deactivate the bombs, she ended up blowing herself up. There's so much to do to prepare. Now we are not those careers (which are Districts one, two, four, and nine) that train since they are born, even thou its against the rules of the Games to have train for the Games. We consider ourselves low-level careers, since we have some sort of knowledge and power for the Games. After my shift at the factory I walk straight home to my one story home with my parents and one brother, there's not many poor people in the district, it isn't like the robotic, high technical home for the Victors that are located in the far east side of the district. Two days later doing the same thing as last few days, it's finally the day of the reaping. I go through my closet looking for something to wear. Looking through my thousand of clothing. I finally picked out an outfit, a suit with a blue and silver tie and brown shiny shoes, I walk to my Living room waiting for my parents, and my older brother to be ready, About thirty minutes later my Dad comes out in his clockworks suit, My dad was close to being a tribute in the Fifth Hunger Games but someone named Kenton Relity Volunteered and they weren't any relation at all, he died two days after the Games have started by a fire explosion. Five minutes later my mom comes out and she is wearing a floral dress, "well you both look rather dashing today, Happy Hunger Games" she said peppy, It reminds me of Ilen Trinket, the District Twelve Escort, bit I know she trying to hide the fact I might go into the Games, how ever she isn't worried about my brother who walks in the room with regular clothing, this last year being eligible to going the Hunger Games." You aren't going to the Town Square in that Kyler." Said my mother " why? It's my last year, and I know I'm not going in the Games so what's the point?" said my brother "fine, let's go!" said my mother. As we walk to the town square m I get sorted into the one5-year-old boys section. As Mayor Drake Welcomes us, Shares the history of the Panem, how the Hunger Games got started, Honoring the two Victors from our district, A girl named Wheat Donter, who won the Twelfth Hunger Games and Jack Lingster, the boy victor of the Ninth Hunger Games. The District Three Escort Colton Zolumtam, a strictly peppy man, who wears a green wig over his oddly bronze hair, and his multicolored bow ties, comes to stage. With his deep accent he says, " Happy Hunger Games all, now its time for the reaping, first off the ladies". He walks up to the round glass bowl with every girls name in it. He picks out a paper and goes to the microphone and started to say" Alex Samatro". I never knew her but she looks to be eighteen as she walks to stage in her orange denim dress, once on the stage she is staring out in the crowd. Colton then says" Any Volunteers?" which is pointless because no one ever does that often, no one replies. My heart is pounding Twenty times faster; my face is sweating up a storm, palms getting clammy as I wait for the boy tribute to be called. He walks up to the boys bowl, even thou my name is in there only four times unlike some other boys who take out tessera, a way for the children who have starving families can get food in exchange for more names in the reaping, I never did the tessera. Colton grabs a paper and opens it up and says clear into the microphone, " Mat Zanders ". My heart froze, as I walk up to the stage and stare out into the crowd, hoping for someone to volunteer for me, no one does, not even my own brother. " Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Join me in honoring the Twenty Third Hunger Games tributes for District Three ". Going in my mind, I'm going into the Games, and I am going to die. I shake hands with Alex as we are escorted into the Justice Building.


	2. Chapter 2  The Daughting Task

While in the Justice Building, we are each placed into a room, where we say our final goodbyes… or if we win, our goodbyes for now. Inside the Justice Building are the all the gears to the big clock tower that indicates the end of the day. I get placed inside the holding room, where I get to say my goodbyes to my family and friends, as I probably will never see them ever again and the five minutes I get with them. Alice is the first one through the door; she is in tears, it kind of hard to tell what she is saying to me," Mat, you are smart and strong, you are going to win"" No I am not going to win Alice " I said harshly. " You have seen what the tributes are like, watch me die on the first day" "Oh please Mat, stop being so negative" Alice said. " Ok what ever, when you are in the arena hide your self, don't bother getting supplies, after the gong rings run for your life and get supplies later" " Thanks Alice I will, and if I don't make it, make sure my Mom is ok" I said trying to hold onto the tears. " I will Mat, I will…" she said while holding in the tears " Time is up, please exit the room" said the Peacekeeper loudly. " Well bye Mat" " Bye Alice". As the Peacekeeper escorts Alice out of the room, I take into consideration of what Alice said to me. " She is right, I am smart and strong, but all the Careers are strong than me, but probably not smarter than me, not many citizens are smarter than the people of District 3, but if I am need run out fast, I probably need to survey the area to see where I should go " I said while there is a headache in my head. Next, my brother came out, I am so mad at him, why could he volunteer instead of me, why anyone else could have volunteered for me? Does everyone hate me? " Hey Mat" he says in an innocent voice. " I'm still mad at you, Kyler!" I said, " Why couldn't you volunteer for me, why couldn't one of your depressed friends volunteer for me? You know that I am going to die and everyone is going to know it." Kyler said, " Because, I was shocked that you were chosen, out of everyone else, you have been chosen, and plus I did not want to go to the Capitol wearing this, it would be a disgrace to our district!" " Heh I get that, so where is Mom and Dad? " I said with great concern. " Well, Mom isn't doing so well and Dad, um lets just say that he getting sick, after you were reaped, he collapsed, me and mom took him to the doctors (in my head, I was thinking has I been in here for that long? Has it been more than one hour? Two? ), And he said that he might not make it, but anyways good luck dude, I know you are going to win" "Five more minutes" the peacekeeper said loudly. " Before I go I want to give you this, my lucky bracelet, you can wear it as a token, you know in the Games, that is if you want to" "I will, but what if I die? Your bracelet would be gone forever! " I said in a panic. " Not really, it would come back with your dead corpse, which by the way I don't want to see nor want to happened in the first place, also it would be my remembrance to you…"" TIME TO LEAVE" yelled the peacekeeper " Well bye Mat, good luck" " Make sure they are ok" As I hug Kyler and he makes his exit from the room I start to think what time is it? It was ten in the morning when I was reaped and noon by the looks of the window when Kyler told me the news. Colton comes in and says " Mat, time to go to the main room with Alex and the mentors." I walk to the main room to find a Television and Alex sitting down " sit down " said Colton, in my head I was thinking ok this is going to be really awkward. I sat down far away from Alex, and the mentors are nowhere to be found, we watch the reaping ceremonies on the television from all twelve districts. The Capitol symbol pops up on the television, there I take metal notes of the each tribute and how they look and act to see if they are lying or being true to themselves. District One shows first, " Sam Qumes ", He looks like a punk rocker with red and black hair and his skin is awfully off white (I never got why they always die their skin, to me its completely pointless) and Diamonds Ruby, she's looks like she is thirteen looks like she can throw a knife good with how she looks. Then District two comes up " Grim Poly", a muscular sixteen year old that looks he could crush his opponents in the arena. And Hailey Wentes, "ugh her " said Wheat abruptly "what is bad about her ""Alex and I said in unison " Well her sister was in the Games when I was and well she is really annoying, she was the twelfth person to die because everyone couldn't even stand her, she wouldn't even kill anyone" " show what is special abut her?" " Well like her sister she might be as annoying to attract enemies near her, I advise to watch out for her if I was you" " I'll probably will" I said right in the middle of Wheat talking. After that it was our district, it looks the most the boring one of all, like every year. District four, five, six, seven, and eight comes up, then District Nine, the one district that has the most Victors out of all the districts combined, " Jake Feldin" looks to be eighteen and looks he can do anything, " Emily Navid" twelve year old who looks she could cut you in a thousand ways. District Nine has been losing it lately not only because of the grain shortage in the factories, they have lost three Hunger Games in past three years and the other career tributes are thinking they should exclude the tributes from District Nine since they haven't been training that much since there is a shortage of grain. So this might mean they are going to try to win to redeem themselves to get the perks of a career. The rest of the towns' reaping are casted and then the symbol comes back and the screen goes black. " Well time to go to the trains" said Colton right when the screen went black. I look around trying to find the mentors " Um Colton", I said, " Where are our mentors?" Colton give me a hash cold look "They left during the reaping montage, they have decided to talk to both of you in the train station" he said gritting through his teeth. " Who stupid idea was that?" asked by Alex, " Its was your mentors idea, to conserve time, but now is not the time for chit-chat we must get to the train station before the train leaves, or we would be really late" Colton said frantically, We get up and walk to the train station. At the train station we find many paparazzi and cameras and reporters asking us questions and making us look at them to answer them, it go very annoying after awhile. We finally got on the stinking train, which is again the oldest train of all twelve districts; it's about three-hour train ride to the Capitol, since no one bother to fix the train to make it to District 3 standards.


End file.
